Ｄｕｓｔ to Ｄｕｓｔ
by Adelina Fontana
Summary: Nami and Lilli have ended up on the outside of Romdeau having no memory of who they are or who they were in their previous lives. When Nami turns out to be an AutoRev and Lilli becomes severely ill, they decide to find a way back into the dome. Although that seems like a good idea, many people are awaiting their return. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

• Lost Memories •

I walked up the steep pile of discarded objects, making my way to the top of the pile as a strong gust of wind pushed me to the side. I made it to the top, walking up to my companion. She looked tiredly up at me and smiled weakly, pulling her long brown hair out of her face and wrapping herself in her navy blue blanket. I sat down next to her on the pile of discarded junk. The wind blew again, making her shiver.

"Want me to share my blanket, Nami?" She asked pulling her arm out.

I shook my head. "You need it more than me."

She wrapped herself in it as she broke into a coughing fit. I sighed, hugging my legs.

"You didn't get much sleep last night, did you?" I pointed out.

She shook her head. "I kept having nightmares..."

"Oh... Are you at least feeling better?"

She shrugged. "A little I guess..."

I dug into the pile, looking for anything interesting or special. Lilli looked off in the distance where a little part of Romdeau's dome was still visible. Her eyes wandered up to the brown-clouded sky.

"What do you think is past the clouds?" Lilli asked.

I shrugged. "I don't think about that."

"Why?" She looked at me with her green eyes. "There has to be something nice up there..."

I looked at her confused, thinking hard. "I... I'm not sure..." I answered.

"Oh.." Lilli looked away sadly.

I stood up as she opened her mouth to speak. She closed it. "You shouldn't sit out here for too long." I put my hand out for her. "It might make you sicker."

I helped her up and led her down the tall pile of junk, doing my best to keep her from slipping or falling.

"So have you decided...?" Lilli asked, stepping over a large metal scrap.

She put her hands on my shoulders to steady herself. "I'm not sure..." I supported her as we slid down a little. "I don't think there's a way to get back into Romdeau... And if we leave... We don't know what's out there." We finally got to the bottom, stepping onto the hard dirt surface. "And you're still sick."

"Nami..." She sighed. "I'm getting better!"

"Not if you keep going outside." I pointed out.

Lilli shook her head, opening the metal door of our little "house". Our "house" was a large rusted section of pipe that led into a mountain of junk. The front was a metal door I found. The inside consisted of a small stove and a couple blankets on the floor. A bed was behind a torn up bed sheet. Lilli sat on one of the blankets to warm herself near the wood stove. I opened the door, seeing the coals flickering.

I shut it, heading for the door. "I'll be right back. I'm going to get more stuff to burn."

Lilli nodded as I walked out the door, shutting it behind me. I walked over the small inclines and piles of garbage, searching for things to burn. I picked up a small, dirty, wooden toy and continued walking.

Lilli and I don't remember how we got out here outside Romdeau... All we know is that we woke up on the outside of the dome, laying on the ground. Lilli was wrapped in my arms on top of me. We were citizens of Romdeau at some point, though we don't know what we did or anyone from our families. We didn't know each other when we woke up either.

We decided to look for anything or anyone who could possibly be out here, since we couldn't find a way back inside the dome. We walked a long ways away from Romdeau when Lilli started to get sick. When she couldn't walk and was too weak I made a little home for us until she would get better. A few days ago she was able to walk again. Now we're unsure of what we should really be doing.

I picked up a couple chunks of wood and kept walking. I stopped to pick up a few other items. A large gust of wind pushed against me, almost blowing me over. I stumbled to the side, quickly finding balance again. I tightened my grip on the items in my arms. I climbed up onto a tall pile of discarded objects. A small and steady wind continued to blow through my hair. I looked up at the brown clouds confused. The wind rapidly increased, making me slide a little to the side. I quickly looked over as a tall, dark mass of dust and dirt blew my way. It quickly came closer, enveloping me in darkness and stinging my skin with sand and dirt.

The strong winds pushed hard against me, making me stumble and almost fall over. I couldn't see a thing. I stepped as carefully as I could down the pile. A heavy gust of wind pushed me over, sliding my feet down the edge until I fell over. My body crashed down to the bottom and I fell face first, my neck smashing on a rusted metal pipe.

I sat up, dazed. My items were still in my arms. I still couldn't see anything. The dirt and sand scratched against my body. The wind howled and whistled loudly, pushing against me. I attempted to stand, being blown over again and sliding further down the hill. I crawled down the side until I felt the cold surface of the hard ground. I heard a small sound in the distance. The wind kept cutting it in and out. I finally got to my feet, fighting the wind to stay up and stumbling around.

"Nami!?" Lilli's voice was thrown around with the wind.

I fell to the ground again, feeling the small steps with my free hand. I crawled up the steps and looked up at the blurred figure of Lilli. I stood up and hurried inside with her, pushing hard against the metal door to close it. I locked it and threw my items down in front of the stove. Lilli sat back down, covered in dust and dirt, coughing. She shivered. I picked up an extra blanket and pushed it against the bottom of the door to keep the dust out. The wind whistled around our home. I went back to the stove and put the blocks of wood in.

Lilli picked up the wooden doll and wiped the dirt off of it's face with her thumb. "Was it scary out there?" She coughed a little.

"Ieeerrr... I-it-" My voice came out high pitched and mechanical.

Lilli and I stared wide eyed and confused at each other. I put my hand to my dented neck, feeling the deep crevice.

"Wh... What?" Lilli acted as if she was hallucinating.

"A little..." I said in the same high pitched and mechanical tone.

I sat down next to her, a little embarrassed.

"You... You're an AutoRev?"

I looked down. "I guess I am..."

"I guess I should've known since you're nothing like me." She hugged her legs and looked away coldly. "You don't eat. You don't drink. You're never cold.."

"What!?" It came out as a squeak. "I didn't know!"

She looked back at me surprised. "How can you not know!?"

I looked down. "I-... I'm not sure... I knew that I wasn't like you... But... I didn't know anything." I looked at her. "I learned everything from you."

Lilli coughed. "It's strange."

She stood up and went to the stove, ladling some hot water out of the pot on top of the stove and put it in a mug. She then returned to her blanket and carefully sipped it.

I quietly looked at the floor. Why is she mad at me for not knowing who I am? She doesn't know who she is so why would she be mad at me? Does she have something against AutoRevs? I coughed to get some of the dirt out of my system. From the dim glare of the stove I could see the scratches on my arms, hands, and legs. I was covered in dust and dirt.

Lilli set her mug on the floor and laid down. I went over to her bed and brought her her pillow, setting it under her head. I sat against the wall and wrapped my fingers around the small, round necklace. I opened up the latch and lifted one of the sides up, rubbing the dirt off of the design. The necklace played it's slow, quiet song. It plinked sadly, accompanied by the whistling wind outside. I couldn't understand why it was so sad or why it comforted me so much.

I hugged my legs and rested my head on my knees, closing my eyes. The soft music of my necklace played on.

~|AUTHOR'S NOTE|~

So I have been watching the awesome anime Ergo Proxy lately. I haven't finished it yet, but I decided to start my fanfic anyway!

Sorry that this chapter is fast and written kinda poorly... I really shouldn't listen to music and write at the same time... I promise i'll write better!

I hope my awesome readers will like this story and keep reading!

I love reviews so please share your thoughts!

Please keep reading!

~|Adelina|~


	2. Chapter 2

•The Return•

I watched as Lilli woke up, sat up, and rubbed her eyes. She coughed weakly.

"It's morning." I greeted with my damaged voice.

Lilli nodded, her eyes still closed. She looked very tired. "It is." She pointed to the pot. "Water?"

I stood up and put some hot water in a glass for her. She took it. I put her blanket over her shoulders.

"Nightmares again?" I asked. "You weren't asleep much."

She nodded and took a sip. "I can't stop having them.."

I put a few more pieces of wood into the stove and shut the door. I sat next to Lilli, hugging my legs.

She shivered. "You wanna know.. Don't you? It's the same dream every time."

"I was curious..." I pointed out.

She took a deep breath after taking another sip. "It's always the same.. And it's not scary.." She looked over to me. "I'm running from something- or someone.. And I don't know where I am or where i'm going.. I'm confused and afraid."

"There's nobody in the dream?"

"There's... Two other people... One holding my hand... And the other is ahead.." She tried her hardest to think. "We're all running in someplace dark."

"You don't know the people there or where you are?"

She shook her head and took a drink. "It really bugs me.." I nodded.

She sighed, handing me the wooden doll. I took it and put it into the fire.

"I think we should go back to Romdeau..." Lilli said. "I don't think there's anyone else out here.. And staying near Romdeau gives us a better chance of surviving..." She looked down at her cup. "Gives me a better chance to survive."

"Okay... When?"

"Today." She wearily stood up. "We could go now."

I stood and took her cup, putting it on the stove. "You sure you'll be okay?"

Lilli smiled. "I'll be fine. I'm just tired.. Maybe if I get closer to Romdeau i'll start to feel better."

"Like you're homesick?"

She shrugged. "Possibly."

I started to pick up some supplies and put them into a small satchel. I slung the worn and dirty strap over my shoulder. Lilli wrapped herself in her faded blue blanket and coughed.

"Ready?" I asked.

She nodded. We then walked outside into the cold, desolate wasteland, closing the door one last time behind us. Lilli followed me forward.

"Bye bye house." Lilli quietly said.

I gripped my necklace and led the way. Lilli followed behind, coughing.

"Do you ever dream, Nami?" Lilli asked.

"No."

"Oh..."

"Do you have something against AutoRevs?" I asked, stepping over a pipe.

"I... I don't know... It just made me feel.. Off about it.."

"Maybe something happened back home." I pointed out.

"Maybe... Do you think we knew each other in Romdeau?"

I looked over at the dome in the distance. "Probably not.."

"But we ended up out here together." She coughed.

"I wonder what we did.. What happened..."

"Yeah.."

"I need to take a break." Lilli said as she sat down on the cold ground.

I turned around and walked back to her. "We're getting closer." I smiled.

Lilli smiled a little. "Eventually we'll get-" She broke into a coughing fit. "Get there."

She looked very tired. "Do you think you'll make it there?"

She looked at me strangely. "Mhm! I'm not gonna die or anything!" She shivered as the wind blew again. "It's just a little cold." She smiled reassuringly. "I'll make it.. I just need a little break."

I sat next to her. "Do you think we'll find a way inside the dome?"

"There has to be a way in somewhere." She grasped my locket around my neck and pulled it close to her. She opened it, making it ping through the empty piles and dirt. "I like this thing."

I looked at the inside of the top of the locket, studying the expertly painted orange flower. Lilli rubbed some of the dust off of it. The outlines sparkled, using the tiny amount of sunlight this wasteland knew. The slow and depressing melody played on.

"Do you remember how you got this?" Lilli asked, coughing again.

I shook my head. "I... No.."

"That's okay." She paused. "I think we'll both remember eventually.. Maybe we need something familiar to jog our memories."

I nodded. We sat there for a while, listening to the locket, until Lilli was ready to walk again. We stood and began walking towards the dome. I led the way, Lilli shuffled her feet behind me.

The wind frequently blew against us, not as powerful as yesterday. Lilli weakly coughed behind me. I kept glancing back to make sure she was there and was okay. She wrapped herself in her navy blue blanket to keep herself warm. Her light pink jacket was too light to keep in any warmth. She wore a light purple dress and white slip on shoes.

I suddenly heard a thud as Lilli fell to the ground. I quickly turned around and hurried over to her, rolling her onto her back.

"Lilli?" I asked.

She didn't answer. She seemed to be asleep with a pained expression on her face. I sighed.

"We should of waited..." I sighed. "Come on then. We should keep going."

I did my best to pick her up. I wrapped her in her blanket and hoisted her on my back in a piggy-back-ride fashion. I was thankful that Lilli was smaller than me. Her arms hung over my shoulders. I began walking again.

We didn't seem to be too far away from Romdeau. Once we get to the dome we can make another home and wait until Lilli got better. I sighed, hoisting Lilli higher on my back. I kept on walking, humming to myself. My voice sounded very electronic, making my hums fade in and out. I hated my voice now. It wasn't me. It wasn't right.

I kept on walking with my only companion supported on my back. Romdeau remained in my sights, getting closer and closer.

Lilli was sick again.

~|AUTHOR'S NOTE|~

Memories will begin to return!

I'm excited for Nami and Lilli to return to Romdeau! It'll be fun and exciting!

Sorry that this chapter is also poorly written! It will start to get better next chapter since they won't be traveling around.

Please keep reading and review!

~|Adelina|~


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